Modern communication terminals are regularly equipped with display apparatuses (displays, monitors) for implementing convenience functions going beyond the pure communication function. Examples of such convenient communication terminals are telephones, fax machines, mobile telephones, cordless telephones, computers with a telephony function (known as “soft clients”), mobile computers (PDAs=Personal Digital Assistant), video conference devices or the like. A common feature of all of these appliances is that the display apparatus or another output apparatus (e.g. voice output) presents the user with a large amount of information relating to the current, an earlier or a subsequent call.
One of the most frequently used functions on modern communication terminals is what is known as the “caller list”. In this context, the caller list is a type of “log book” about calls which have been made. In many communication terminals, a distinction is drawn here between outgoing calls, incoming calls, untaken, incoming calls (“missed” calls) etc.
The aforementioned untaken calls are recorded in cases in which a call was not taken while a user was absent or when a call has been received while the communication terminal was “busy”, that is to say that the user could not or did not want to take the call on account of there being another call, for example. What is known as the “CLIP” (Calling Line Identification Presentation) function means that a communication address (usually the telephone number) for the communication terminal of the calling party is transmitted for most calls. This “Clip” information is entered into the caller list, usually with additional information such as the (last) call time and a number stating how often the caller vainly wished to set up a connection. On account of the telephone number recorded in the caller list, it is a very simple matter on most communication terminals to call back this caller simply by pressing a key or using a similar operating procedure. In many cases, this functionality saves the caller from leaving a message on a telephone answering machine (voice box, or the like) or repeatedly attempting at regular intervals of time to contact the user of the called communication terminal.
When using the known caller lists, it has been found to be disadvantageous that the called person frequently calls back the caller when he has returned or when the current telephone call has been terminated, even in cases in which the caller does not actually want this or the return call is pointless. By way of example, the reason for the original call may have since become obsolete, the caller himself can now no longer be contacted, or the return call is unwanted or unnecessary for other reasons. Such negative experiences mean that many people no longer use the caller list or its associated return call option, even though this convenience function is advantageous in may other instances for the aforementioned reasons.